aitken



(No Model.) Rl Wl AITKENI 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

VALVE GAR PoR ENGINES.

No. 303,785. Patented Aug. 19, 1884.

NV PETERS Pnomliznngrzph-r, Wmingtm. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. W. AITKEN.

VALVE GEAR EOE ENGINES.

No. 303,785. Patented Aug.V 19, 1884.

Unirse STATES PATENT Ormes.

ROBERT lV. A'ITKEN, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK, ASSlGNOR 'FO Tl'lll FITTS AGRICULTURAL VORKS, OF

SAME FLAC-E.

VALVE-GEAR FOR ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,785, dated August 19, 1884.

Application ilcd April 1S, ISF-l2.

(No model.)

To cali when?, t may concern.-

.I is the strap surrounding the eccentric I, I

eter than the pulley Ii, to reduce its speed andj the rod which connects the strap J with Be it known that I, Bonner KV. ArrKnN, the valve-rodf.' y of the city of Buiialo, in the county of Erie K represents a pulley or chain -wheel east and State of New York, have invented new with or otherwise secured to the hub or side 55 5 and useful Improvements in Valve-Gear for of the eccentric I, so as to turn with the saine. teversiblc Steam-Engines, of which the folk represents an endless belt or chain, which lowing is a specifica-tion. runs around the pulley K and around a pul- My invention is designed more particularly ley, L, secured to the horizontal shaft l of the 'for usein that class of reversiblestcanrcngines governor, thereby transmitting motion from 6o 1o which is employed for operating thrashingthe shaft c to the governor.

machines and similar agricultural machines, M represents a collar secured to the shaft a, and which require to be simple in construction adjacent to the pulley K., and on, is a segmental and capable ol being operated and keptin projection formed with or secured t'o the side working order by persons who are but little of the collar M, and engaging against a simi- 65 i5 acquainted with such machinery. iar projection, a, formed with or secured to he object of this invention is the constrncthe side of the pulley Ii, as clearly shown in tion of a simple v. -lve mechanism for such re- Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The projection m is secured versible steam-engines in which but a single to the shaft a by means of the collar M, with eccentric is employed, and which can be shiftits center in the saine radial plane with the 7o 2o ed by a simple movement to reverse the mocrank-pin, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Vhen tion of the engine-shaft, and in which no gearthe parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4l, wheels are employed. in which the radial front side, m', of the pro- My invention consists of the peculiar conjeclion m rests against the radial rear side, a', struction ofthe reversible valve-gear, which of the projection n, the engineshaft is caused 75 e5 willbe hereinafter fully described, and pointed to rotate iorwardly, as represented by the arout in the claims. rows in Figs. 1 and 4. `When the eccentric is In the accompanying drawings, consist-ing turned forward on the shaft until the radial of two sheets, Figure lis a side elevation, and front side, n, of the projection n rests against Fig. 2 a top pli'in view, oll a steanrengineprothe radial rear side, in?, of the projection m, the so 3o vided with my improvement. Fig. 3 isa ver eccentric isV placed in the position in which it tical section of the eccentric and connecting will cause the engine shaft to rotate backparts on an enlarged scale. Fig. fi is a partly ward! y. The cccentrieis readily placed in this sectional side elevation thereof, the section position by turning the pulley Ii in the direcbeing taken in line .fc x, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a tionin which it runs with increased speeduntil S5 35 perspective view of the collar secured to the the face n2 of the projection n comes in contactshaft. with the rear side, fm2, of the projection on.. In Like letters of reference refer to like parts order to enable the pulley M to be so turned, in the several iigures. A the pulley L of the govcrnorshaft is provided A represents the bedframe of the engine, with a hand-wheel, o. Upon giving the hand- 9o 4o c the shaft thereof,]3 one of the pillow-blocks wheel o a quick turn in the direction in which in which the shaft is supported, C the crankit runs, this accelerated motionis transmitted wheel, c the crank-pin, l) the.connecting-rod, by the endless beltI or chain le to the pulley K el the piston-rod, E thc steam cylinder, F and the eccentric I, attached thereto, thereby 'the valvechest, f the valve-rod, [/'the steammoving the eccentric out of the position which 95 .45 pipe, leading to the valve-chest, and H the it occupies on the shaft c, until it is stopped governor applied te thesteanrpipe, all of orby the projection a coming in contact with dinary and woll-known construction. i the projection nz.. If preferred, the pulley L I represents the eccentric, mounted loosely may be an idlcrpulley, serving only as a on the shaft a, so as to be capable of turning means for reversing the engine, and in that roo- 5o thereon. case the pulley may be made larger in dianr and perlnit it to be more readily turned forward. Vhen the eccentric has been moved forward so as to bring the sides mIl and n2 of the projections m n in contact with each other, as hereinbefore described, and the direction in which the engine-shaft rotates having been reversed thereby, the eccentric is again with its projection a on the forward side of the projection m-that is to say, it is in front of the projection m in the direction in which the eugine'rotates at the time. The eccentric is therefore returned to its former position (shown in Fig. 4) by giving the pulley K a quick turn in the direction in which it runs.

It is evident from the foregoing that the en- -v gine is reversed from forward to backward,

and vice versa, by simply giving the pulley K a quick turn in the direction in which it runs.

My improved reversinggear is extremely simple in construction, and therefore produced at comparatively small expense and easily manipulated and kept in working order by the class of persons who ordinarily operate agricultural and similar machinery.

I claim as my inventionf The combination, with the engine-shaft, of the eccentric I, mounted loosely on said shaft, a projection, m, secured to said shaft and provided with two stops adapted to support the 'eccentric respectively in its forward and backward position, a pulley, K, secured tothe eccentric I, a hand-pulley, L, and an endless belt or chain, k, running around the pulleys K and L, substantially as set forth.

ROBERT \V. AITKEN.

XVitnesses:

JN0. J. BONNER, (3H/ls. F. GEYEi-z. 

